For the most part, drivers find the technology in their cars to be pretty useless.
It turns out that more technology in cars isn’t necessarily something customers want, and it’s not really improving their driving experience. We know my thoughts on the matter, but I’ll do my best to stay impartial on this latest survey from JD Power that shows most customers don’t appreciate technology in cars unless they can see a clear benefit to them.
JD Power’s 2024 U.S. Tech Experience Index Study evaluated over 81,000 drivers’ experience with “advanced vehicle technologies” in 2024 model year vehicles after 90 days of ownership, It turned out to be a pretty mixed bag when it came to what people liked using. There are a number of tech features that customers like using because they feels that it answers their needs, but at the same time there is a whole lot that don’t get used very often or are continually annoying, according to the survey.
All I need is Bluetooth in the audio system and a place to hang my phone. Beyond that, things that don't make my car move or my body comfortable can go to hell.
It's nice as a backup. My car has built in GPS, and it's actually really good with navigation, the directions are better (in terms of clarity) than my phone. I still use my phone for 99.9% of my GPS, since the maps are updated more often (and for free!), the interface is easier to use, there are more options for intermediate stops, construction and road obstruction warnings, and I can queue up my directions before I get into the car.
Every single one I saw has been either slow, have terrible maps, missing maps, outdated maps, or most likely, all of the above. Doesn't hold a candle to open maps, waze, or gmaps on a phone
Way cheaper to just install(or have somebody else install) a new radio. I did this in an afternoon.
Now I have CarPlay/Android Auto, a reverse camera, and engine diagnostics/check engine codes all in one spot. Didn’t lose my steering wheel controls. Actually doubled them cause now they support press and hold actions for every button that I can choose what they do.
See if your car is on the website niftycity you might be able to get a piggyback adapter from them to run Android Auto & Apple Carplay through your OEM setup.
They no doubt sell rebranded versions of the same stuff you can find on AliExpress but they do the hard parts of working out all the bits to make it all nicely integrated with the OEM setup rather than having to research which obscure cables you need to buy.